New York’s new mobile betting market will not include horseracing, at least not for the time being, according to guidance issued by the state Gaming Commission.
“There appears to be no allowance of horse racing with mobile sports wagering and no integration of existing online horse racing advance deposit wagering systems,” the commission stated.
State Senator Joseph Addabbo, who sponsored the mobile betting provisions written into the 2021-22 state budget bill signed into law last month, seconded this, saying the New York Racing Association already has an online wagering platform, NYRA Bets, as it’s called, and will be left out when the law takes effect at the end of this year or early in 2022.
Addabbo and other betting advocates in the Legislature wanted mobile to be extended to kiosks at racetracks and OTB parlors but weren’t able to work it into the final version of the law over expected opposition from the administration of Governor Andrew Cuomo.
NYRA isn’t happy about the commission’s interpretation and wants to see it updated.
“Allowing horse racing content and wagering to coexist within the mobile sports marketplace would grow the sport in New York, deepen the industry’s economic impact and create jobs,” said a spokesman.
“NYRA will continue to make the case in the coming weeks, and we look forward to working with the New York State Gaming Commission as they develop the all-important rules and regulations that will determine New York’s mobile sports wagering landscape.”
